Bundle Up Blog

Tag #BundleUpBGS on social media! We want to see how you are supporting your teams this weekend!

The Match-up

This week's BGS game features two of the remaining six undefeated teams, pitting the Green Bay Packers against the Denver Broncos. Although many had written off the Broncos before the season started due to Manning's aging arm, they have managed to rattle off six straight wins to begin the season. The Packers, on the other hand, are doing exactly what people thought they would up to this point. Behind the arm of MVP Aaron Rodgers, the Packers are looking to make another trip to the Super Bowl this year. Although the game will be close, I think the Packers will prevail in this matchup.

The Prediction

Green Bay Packers - 24

Denver Broncos - 16

-Alec

Cute Guy Watch

Normally I'm searching online for someone to feature for days. DAYS! I was pleasantly surprised a few minutes ago when I typed in, "Broncos wide receiver," and Emmanuel Sanders popped up. Again from very limited research, it seems Sanders is recovering from an injury but should be able to play in the Big Game on Sunday night. Even if he isn't playing, I hope they show him at some point in his uniform since football pants are THE BEST pants. ... Oh yeah.

The mascot lacking Packers take on the Broncos this week. I won't say much about the Packers since my vent at the beginning of the season when I complained about... Well, their lack of mascot. I don't think there are many other mascots out there that could get past the fierce bucking and speed of the bronco so I'm picking them for the win this week. I'll reconsider the Packers for a potential win when they implement a mascot.

Tailgate and Cheer in Style

Happy Halloween Weekend! Stay bundled while showing the trick-or-treaters who you're cheering for this weekend! Here is what we recommend to cheer on the Green Bay Packers:

Tag #BundleUpBGS on social media! We want to see how you are supporting your teams this weekend!

The Match-up

The Maryland Terrapins have had a roller coaster of a season to this point. After a blowout victory over the Spiders of Richmond, they followed with a lopsided loss to the Bowling Green Falcons, and last week beat South Florida by a couple of scores. On the other side of the ball, the West Virginia Mountaineers have started the season against a couple of cupcake teams (yum, cupcakes!) in Georgia Southern and Liberty. This will be a true test to see if the Mountaineers are an actual force to be reckoned with and if the Terrapins can right the ship and get on a winning streak before conference play starts.

The Prediction

University of Maryland - 17

West Virginia University - 37

-Alec

Cute Guy Watch

Do you ever really look at those player photos on TV at the beginning of the football games? The typical image I see in my head is scowling, mean, and the personality that they have always hated their picture being taken. Looking through the University of Maryland's lineup was very different than what you see on TV. I browsed through several people before ultimately picking Wes Brown, running back for Maryland, for our Cute Guy Watch. Doesn't his smile just make you so happy!? Wes, thanks for making our day. Big smiles right back at ya!

I wasn't positive about what exactly a terrapin is, so I googled to confirm it is indeed a type of turtle. What's the difference between a turtle, terrapin, and tortoise you ask? Their differences actually lie in where they live, and not what they look like! If you're interested in learning more, click here to read all about their differences.

This week we'll look at a terrapin going up against a mountaineer. The WVU mountaineer mascot carries a musket (shoutout to my good friends Hillary and Karen) and wears a pretty sweet raccoon hat. I've seen fringed boots and jackets come back into style so he's also got that going for him. On the other hand, the terrapin has a hard shell to help protect itself from the mountaineer. Unfortunately the terrapin has slow speed as a disadvantage, so I'm forced to give this one to the mountaineers.

Tailgate and Cheer in Style

The first day of Fall was earlier this week and we are beyond excited for that cool breeze to start rolling in! Don't forget that our flower pins can be ordered individually and you can choose the option of a gem or button center! Here is what we recommend to cheer on the University of Maryland:

Tag #BundleUpBGS on social media! We want to see how you are supporting your teams this weekend!

The Match-up

The New York Jets lost their starting quarterback in the preseason to a punch in the face, and have to rely on Ryan Fitzpatrick for the first few weeks to open the season. The Harvard graduate proved that he deserves to be a starting quarterback in the League with an outstanding performance in week 1, giving the Jets a victory and a great start to the season. The Colts on the other hand, did not start out their push for a 2016 Super Bowl the way they had hoped. Andrew Luck did not come out with the precision the Colts brass was looking for and ended up throwing 2 interceptions en route to a week 1 loss. If the Jets can continue to tread water and win a few more games, they could be in a good position for when Geno Smith comes back from a broken jaw. Andrew Luck and the Colts need to get back on track this week, or face an uphill climb in the division to make the playoffs.

The Prediction

New York Jets - 15

Indianapolis Colts - 24

-Alec

Cute Guy Watch

Born in Sweden. Native Canadian. Played at Yale. Former gymnast. What else do I even need to say? Tyler Varga now plays for the Indianapolis Colts at the age of 21. His young age aside, I'm drooling over our cute guy this week. You're welcome ladies.

This week we're matching up a jet and a horse. Obviously the speed of a jet is no match for a horse. On the other hand looking at the defensive side, a horse could maneuver and zigzag around the field much easier than a jet could. I don't have a strong feeling toward green or royal blue, and have fond memories of both cities. It's a close call, but I'm ultimately settling for Indy to win this one. Alec and I had a great time at the Vintage Indiana Wine Festival in Indy a couple of years ago that's pulling my heart strings toward the Colts for the win.

Tailgate and Cheer in Style

The Fall air has swept upon us here in Cincinnati, so it's just a matter of time before we're all looking to be bundled up! Here is what we recommend to cheer on the New York Jets:

First Official Week of College Football!!

Tag #BundleUpBGS on social media! We want to see how you are supporting your teams this weekend!

The Match-up

The first truly big game of the season pits two ranked opponents, #20 Wisconsin and #3 Alabama, against each other in the Advocare Classic on ABC in Arlington, TX. Since Nick Saban took over as head coach of the Crimson Tide, Alabama has never lost a season opener. Both squads will be replacing big time running backs in second round pick T.J. Yeldon of Alabama and first round selection Melvin Gordon of Wisconsin. This game will be a battle between two schools who constantly have a flurry of running backs coming through and then heading to the NFL. At the end of the day though, this Alabama squad will be too much to handle and should "run away" with the game.

The Prediction

University of Alabama: 35

University of Wisconsin: 21

-Alec

Cute Guy Watch

It's an understatement that I quickly become sidetracked when searching online. I was looking for pictures of Jacob Coker, Senior QB for Alabama, and in my search for pictures of him, Russell Wilson caught my eye...

I couldn't resist. And you're welcome. He played for Wisconsin in grad school, so this is relevant!

I ended up doing quite a bit of Googling about the Crimson Tide. What does that even mean? Is that an animal or a color? What is this mascot!? The most important thing you need to know is that his name is Big Al and he's an elephant. Now that we have that all clear, let's discuss this elephant going up against a badger (whose name is Buckingham U. "Bucky" Badger). I'm initially less than impressed with Big Al's t-shirt and am already leaning toward Bucky who sports what looks to be a striped turtleneck. Neither mascot wears pants so that helps even the playing field. I'm sure the Roll Tide cheering will be loud, but it's no match for those Bucky stripes. My thought with this game is that Bucky's red and white striped turtleneck is going to distract the Crimson Tide and help lead Wisconsin to a victory.

Tailgate and Cheer in Style

We'll see a lot of red in the crowd for both of these teams! Here is what we recommend for the Wisconsin Badgers:

Preseason Week 3: Chicago Bears @ Cincinnati Bengals

Tag #BundleUpBGS on social media! We want to see how you are supporting your teams this weekend!

The Match-up

This week features two quarterbacks who much has been expected, and not much has been delivered. The Bengals have reached the playoffs the first 4 years Andy Dalton has been at the helm, whereas the Bears have struggled in the Jay Cutler era, missing the playoffs each of the last 4 years. Funny enough, Jay Cutler and the Bears have won more playoff games in that time period than the Bengals!

Enough about the past though, this Week 3 preseason match-up traditionally means the starters will play at least the entire first half, and gives fans the best preview of the team they will be cheering on hopefully into 2016. The Bears are coming into this game 2-0 in the preseason and playing better than expected at this point. The Bengals are 1-1 and really struggled against a young Buccaneers squad in Week 2. The Bengals are definitely the more talented team in this match-up and should be able to dominate on both sides of the ball throughout the whole contest.

The Prediction

Chicago Bears - 12

Cincinnati Bengals - 33

-Alec

Cute Guy WatchI couldn't find anyone cute on either team to feature this week. This adorable bear and tiger friendship will just have to do!

Lions, tigers, and bears – Oh my! We aren’t featuring the Lions this week but we will see the other two! The Cincinnati Bengals will host the Chicago Bears on Saturday for their last Preseason game. Massive in size, sharp teeth, and claws that could surely scratch their way to the end zone are all important traits they have in common. Both animals are fierce and the cities are two of my favorites, which makes it pretty tough to choose who will dominate. Having lived in Cincinnati for a few years now and hearing A.J. Green's name pop up everywhere, I feel like I have to cheer for the Bengals for this win. I like your colors too Bears, but it isn't easy competing with a hometown team!

Tailgate and Cheer in Style

The main colors for the Cincinnati Bengals are orange, black and white. We offer several variations for this team's colors! This is what we recommend for the Bengals:

Before you know it our weekends will be spent tailgating, eating more chips and dip than we can keep track of, and cheering so loud that we lose our voices. Our Big Game Series will keep you excited throughout the whole season and provide another game to watch, especially if your team isn't playing that weekend!

What is the Big Game Series?

The BGS (Big Game Series) is a weekly series that will feature one college football or NFL game. The games will be played anytime from the Friday feature through the following Monday night. Alec will write about his thoughts on both teams and predict the score, while I (Maryanne) will list the colors for the teams, any cute guys to keep an eye out for, and evaluate the mascot matchup. Additionally, we will list the items and color combinations that will work best for the teams which will eliminate the guesswork and ensure you pick the right colors!

Feature Pictures from Social Media - #BundleUpBGS

We want YOU to show us how you're supporting your team! We all know how unpredictable the weather is so regardless if it's 70 degrees or snowing and frigid cold, we want to see how you dress to impress your favorite team. Post your pictures on social media and use the hashtag #BundleUpBGS to be featured in our recap the following week.

Did you say recap?

Of course! Every week before the BGS featured game, we will post a short recap complete with any must see highlights. We will also include our favorite photos from YOU on social media!

How do you get your favorite team featured?

Let us know! Leave a comment, send us a note on the Contact Us page, post on social media... Use any means to tell us your favorite team and why you want them featured.

You might be thinking, "I'm not really into sports - Will I enjoy this series?"

Absolutely! This series is meant to be fun for everyone. Alec's game insights will interest those with a passion for sports, and my mascot overview aims to entertain all of our followers. You will also be able to see how different color combinations and items pair together with one another.

So when is the first BGS post?

Because we're local to Cincinnati and are way too excited to wait until the first regular season game, we are starting the BGS NEXT WEEK! Check back next Friday morning (the 28th) to read our first BGS post:

Chicago Bears @ Cincinnati Bengals

Who are you hoping to see featured on the BGS? Comment below!

This blog, series, and our items are in no way affiliated directly with the NFL or NCAA.